Loom with a pirnless shuttle



Jul 14, 1964 Filed April 17, 1962 K. G. JONES LOOM WITH A PIRNLESS SHUTTLE 11 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNVh N 1 OR. KEN/v57 6'. Jaws-5 July 14, 1964 K. G. JONES 3,140,731

LOOM WITH A PIRNLESS SHUTTLE July 14, F1964 K. e. JON-Es 3,149,131

1200M WITH :A Pr-muss JSHUTTLJE Filed April 517,, 1962 1 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

July 14, 1964 K. e. JONES LOOM WITH A PIRNLESS SHUTTLE ll Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 17, 1962 QN N INVENTOR. KEN/var 6-. JaA/ES BY w m m A 7' roeA Eyf July 14, 1964 K. G. JONES 3,

LOOM WITH A PIRNLESS SHUTTLE Filed April 17, 1962 ll Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR. KENNETH 6. daxvEfi July 14, 1964 K. cs. JONES 3,140,731

LOOM WITH A PIRNLESS SHUTTLE Filed April 17, 1962 ll Sheets-Sheet 7 W W. i 1 I I INVENTOR. KEN/v5 7w 6-- Jams:

A 7' 70 ENE Y5 July 14, 1964 K. G. JONES Filed April 17, 1962 LOOM WITH A PIRNLESS SHUTTLE ll Sheets-Sheet 8 llllll ll!!\ INVENTOR. KEMYETHG- James AM,WM

ATTORNEYS July 14, 1964 K. G. JONES 3,140,731

LOOM WITH A PIRNLESS SHUTTLE Filed April 17, 1962 11 Sheets-Sheet 9 IN VENTOR. KEN/V5771! 6. do M55 July 14, 1964 K. s. JONES LOOM WITH A PIRNLESS SHUTTLE 11 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed April 17, 1962 INVENTOR. Ka-wA/arw 6. ./6 S

BY M, m L Mew July 14, 1964 K. s. J'ONES 3,140,731

LOOM WITH A PIRNLESS SHUTTLE Filed April 17, 1962 ll SheetsSheet ll INVENTOR.

flaw/57w 6-. Jams 5 Q% N Q \Tq BY AM, M02 Fm hrrafiwsvf United States Patent 3,140,731 LOOM WITH A PIRNIJESS SHUTTLE Kenneth G. Jones, De Pere, Wis., assignor to Wisconsin Wire Works, Appleton, Wis., a corporation of Wiscousin Filed Apr. 17, 1962, Ser. No. 188,037 8 Claims. (Cl. 139-126) This invention relates to a loom with a pirnless shuttle.

The invention is readily applicable to a loom having such conventional features as a lay which is gravity biased for beat up and is cam retracted and heddles and picker sticks operated in the usual manner.

One of the significant features of the invention consists in the fact that the shuttle boxes and pirnless shuttle and operating connections constitute a kit which can readiiy be installed on the lay of an otherwise conventional loom and actuated by connections to the springer roll or other fixed support, with or without electric controls, no other conversion being required.

The invention will be described with reference to a preferred embodiment for weaving wire cloth.

The shuttle boxes include locking mechanisms engageable with the shuttle as it seats in the box for retaining it against rebound. These mechanisms have actuating springs which are cocked to store energy in the course of the beat up movement of the lay. The locking mechanisms are triggered by the arriving shuttle for engagement of a locking lever behind the shuttle in the extreme position of the shuttle.

The shuttle has a traversing gripper which is reciprocahle substantially for the length of the shuttle and has a movable clamp jaw which shifts with snap action to re lease the weft or shute from one side of the loom while concurrently clamping the end of a shute strand from thet other side of the loom. In each shuttle box, there is a feed block through which the shute is delivered, the end of the shute wire being exposed for engagement by te clamp of the gripper jaws when the kinetic energy of the shuttle acts through the gripper to force the feed box bodily rearwardly along the stationary end of the shute wire. The clamp jaw preferably engages the projecting end of the shute wire with sufiicient impact to flatten the wire somewhat, the deformation of the wire assisting in its retention by the clamping means with less pressure than would otherwise be required.

Means is provided for cutting a length of shute wire which has been fed through the shed. The cut off means is mounted on the feed blocks at both ends of the race but the cut off functions only at the trailing end of the shute, due to the fact that feed blocks at opposite sides of the loom are in different positions with respect to the actuating source. Cut off is actuated by lay movement almost at the instant of beat up, the shute being maintained under tension to the last moment.

Special means is provided for taking up slack in the shute wire in advance of beat up, such means including fingers recessed into the race at both sides of the loom. Electrical interlock means stops the loom if either finger is improperly retracted into its recess before the shuttle is fired or if the shute wire is broken or not properly held and consequently is free of tension when acted on by the respective fingers.

The improved mechanism is provided throughout with electrically operable interlock means to detect malfunction and to arrest loom operation if malfunction occurs.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of a generally conventional loom modified by incorporation of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale showing portions of the bed of the loom illustrated in FIG. 1, parts of the frame being shown in section.

3,140,731 Patented July 14, 1964 FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view similar to FIG. 2 but limited to a showing of the parts added to one side of a conventional loom in converting it into a loom of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view on an enlarged scale of one end of the lay of a loom in which the present invention has been incorporated.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with portions of the mechanism removed to expose structure which is concealed in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of portions of the lay illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 with portions of the structure removed to expose details concealed in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a view taken in section on the line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view showing some of the parts illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 as viewed in a different position of operation.

FIG. 10 is a view taken in section on the line 10-10 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 showing the parts in different positions of operation.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of a shute control unit on the lay.

FIG. 13 is a view in elevation of the part shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a detail view taken in section on the line 14-14 of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a detail view taken in section on the line 15-15 of FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged detail view taken in section on the line 16-16 of FIG. 12, portions being broken away.

FIG. 17 is a view similar to FIG. 16 showing parts in different positions of operation.

FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIGS. 16 and 17 showing the parts in different positions of operation.

FIG. 19 is a further enlarged fragmentary detail view of a portion of the structure in FIG. 16.

FIG. 20 is a view on an enlarged scale taken in section on the line 20-20 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 21 is a view on an enlarged scale taken in section on the line 21-21 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 22 is a view taken in section on the line 22-22 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 23 is a greatly enlarged detail view in section parallel to the plane of the shute showing a length of shute engaged between the jaws of the gripper.

FIG. 24 is a detail bottom plan view of the under side of the gripper jaw.

FIG. 25 is a view in perspective of a shuttle embodying the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a view in bottom perspective of the shuttle shown in FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a fragmentary plan view of an end portion of the shuttle, portions being broken away.

FIG. 28 is a view of the gripper slide on the'line 28-28 of FIG. 29.

FIG. 29 is a view of the gripper slide in section on the line indicated at 29-29 in FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 is a view of the shuttle in section on the line 30-30 of FIG. 27.

FIG. 31 is a view taken in section on the line 31-31 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 32 is a fragmentary plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 is a view taken in section on the line 33-33 of FIG. 31.

FIG. 34 is a diagrammatic showing of the controls preferably used in the loom of the present invention.

FIG. 35 is a detail View of one of the electrical contact arrangements as indicated on the line 3535 of FIG. 34.

FIG. 36 is a view taken on line 3636 of FIG. 34.

The loom frame 1 conventionally provides means for supporting the usual takeup roll 2 and supply roll 3 for the warp wires, the latter being formed into sheds by the usual heddles 4. The lay, generically designated by reference character 5, includes a generally conventional lay cap 6, lay bottom 7, reed 8 and race 9. The lay is pivotally supported on swords 10 having pivot means 11 at the top of the frame. The fabric beat up at 12 passes around the stationary springer roll 15 which guides the fabric 16 to the takeup roll 2.

On the main drive shaft 17 is a cam 18 coacting with follower 19 on the rocker arm 20 of rock shaft 21. The arm 22 of shaft 21 is connected by link 23 to the lay as a means of retracting the lay. When the cam follower 19 clears the nose of cam 24, the lay moves forward under its gravity bias to effect beat up.

The picker cam shaft 25 operates at half the speed of drive shaft 17 and is provided with a cam 26 reacting with eam follower 27 to oscillate the picker shaft 28 in the usual manner, this cam and shaft being duplicated at the opposite side of the loom. The picker 3t) is at the upper end of shaft 28. The picker shaft at each side of the loom is subject to the action of a powerful spring 31 which is tensioned by engagement of cam 26 with the follower 27 of the shaft 28. When the nose 32 of the cam 26 clears the follower 27, the shaft 28 is released for oscillation subject to the bias of its spring 31, thereby swinging the picker through an are which propels the shuttle sharply through the shed in the usual way.

In all of the particulars above noted, the loom as thus far described is merely an exemplification of one wellknown type of loom to which the features of the present invention are applicable. The present invention contemplates that a special shuttle 35 will draw lengths of shute 36 alternately from spools 37, 38 at the right and left of the loom, each such length being drawn through the shed, beat up and then severed, the free ends of the severed lengths of shute being folded aside to keep them from being entangled during subsequent operations. The term shute is used in this industry synonymously with SWef I! The Shuttle The shuttle 35 and its reciprocable gripper slide are separately illustrated in FIGS. 25 to 30. The shuttle optionally has the usual supporting wheels 39 to facilitate its travel through the shed and along the race 9. The gripper slide 40 is reciprocable longitudinally in a way 41 provided by channelling the upper surface 42 of the shuttle and machining side wall slots 43 and 44 in which the flanges 45 and 46 of the gripper slide 40 are confined. To permit the introduction and removal of the slide 40, a gate section 47 of the shuttle, at one side of the channel therein, is separately fabricated and detachably secured as best shown in FIGS. 27 and 30. The limits of reciprocation of the gripper slide are defined by the impact blocks 50 and 51 (FIG. 25). These may conveniently be made of fiber.

The gripper has clamping jaw surfaces 54 and 55 into engagement with which the clamping jaw member 69 moves with snap action on ball bearings 61 in the ball races provided, in part, by the channels 62 and 63 of the slide. The clamp member has clamping jaw surfaces complementary to the surfaces 54, 55 of slide block 40 and it snaps toward one or the other under the bias of a compression spring 65 which has seats 66 and 67 respectively engaged pivotally with the slide 40 and the clamp member 69, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 30. The spring is housed in a cavity 68 with which the slide is provided. Whenever the clamp member 60 is moved toward a position in which it is centered intermediate the clamping surfaces 54 and 55, the spring is compressed. As the clamping member 60 moves across center, the spring expands to move the clamping member with snap action to the extreme of its permitted movement.

The shute wires are alternately engaged between the jaws of clamping member 60 and the complementary clamping jaw surfaces 54 and 55 of the slide 40 as will hereinafter be explained. When the shuttle traverses the shed in either direction, one of the impact blocks 5% or 51 at its trailing end engages the slide 4% to pull the gripper slide 44 and the shute wire clamped thereto through the shed. At the remote end of the shed, the shuttle is abruptly arrested. As it is coming to rest, it receives between its open jaws a projecting end of the shute wire drawn from a spool at that side of the shed. When the clamp member is then reciprocated at beat up by means hereinafter disclosed to release the wire which has been drawn through the shed, it automatically snaps into engagement with the projecting end of the shute Wire next to be drawn through the shed and the operation is repeated in the opposite direction.

The Shuttle Boxes At each side of the loom, a lay bottom extension 70 projects beyond the sword 7.9 as best shown in FTGS. 2 and 6. Supported on the lay bottom extension '70, as by the angle 71 (FIG. 8) is the race extension 72 which provides the bottom of the pocket into which the shuttle is received at the extreme of its movement. The rear wall of the pocket consists of an upstanding flange 73 having a lining 74- which may be brake lining. The front wall 75 of the pocket is hinged at 76 for bodily pivotal movement to and from engagement of its friction lining 77 with the shuttie. A top guide 78 connected with the hinged wall 75 confines the shuttle against upward displacement. A motor 80 is connected by link 81 with a lever 82 attached to the end wall 75 to release such wall from pressure engagement with the shuttle 35. The motor may be electrically operated or fluid-operated, as desired.

In its extreme position in the pocket (FIGS. 4 and 5), shuttle 35 engages the cushion 84 at the lower end of the conventional picker block 35 which is reciprocable on bars 86, S7 and loosely connected with the picker stick fit by means of a tether 88. Since the shuttle impacts the cushion 34 with considerable momentum, means is provided for locking the shuttle in the pocket to prevent it from bouncing out. For this purpose, I use a detent or a lock lever which is normally retracted from the path of the shuttle as shown in FIG. 7 and can be snapped from its retracted position to the FIG. 6 position in which it lies behind the shuttle to hold the shuttle in its pocket. The snap movement of the lock lever 95 is effected by a spring which is cocked during the beat up movement of the lay and the release of which is triggered by a gate engaged by the shuttle itself just as it approaches its final position.

The bracket 89 attached to the aforesaid arm 82 serves to provide a pivotal support for the gate 9t). Tension spring 91 biases the gate about its pintle 92 to the normal position which is illustrated in FIG. 7. In this position, its cushion 93 extends inwardly over a portion of the extension 72 and the race 9. As the shuttle 35 enters the pocket as shown in FIG. 6, it pushes the gate 95 aside against the bias of spring 91, thereby displacing the thrust rod 94. The thrust rod acts on the lock 95 to displace the lock from the position of FIG. 7 to that of FIG. 6. In this latter position, the cushion 96 which is around the end of lock lever 95 is engaged behind the shuttle to hold the shuttle in its pocket. The lock lever cannot engage behind the shuttle until the shuttle reaches its final position in the pocket.

The lock lever 95 is acted upon by a toggle linkage and a compression spring 97 cocked during beat up movement of the lay as will hereinafter be explained. The lever 95 is on the upper end of a rock shaft 98 which has a rocker arm 99 constituting one of the toggle links, the other being provided by the guide 1111 which supports the spring 37 and is reciprocable through the pivoted spring seat 1411.

Rock shaft 93 has a cocking lever 1115. With the lock lever 95 engaged with the shuttle, the cocking lever projects to the left as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 6. In this position, it will engage a fixed camming roll as the lay swings for heat up. By this means the cocking lever is displaced to the position of FIG. 9, which shows the toggle linkage cocked in a position in which the pintle 102 is just off center with rocker arm 99 engaged with stop 106, the recess 1113 of the lock lever 35 being thereby maintained in the path of push rod 94. When the rod 94 is displaced by the triggering oscillation of the gate lever 90 above described, the pintle 1% moves across center to release the energy of the compression spring 97, which thereupon expands to move the linkage to the position shown in full lines in FIG. 6 and in dotted lines in FIG. 9, thereby engaging the lock lever 95 with the shuttle as shown in FIG. 6 to prevent it from rebounding. The need for the locking lever is only momentary, during the interval when rebound of the shuttle might occur, since thereafter the shuttle is frictionally held in the box by the wall 75 and the friction linings 77 and 74 as shown in FIG. 8.

Skate Feed The weft or shute 36 on spool 38 is shown in FIG. 16 as it appears when the shuttle 35 has dragged it through the shed, its end being clamped between the clamping member 61) and the complementary surface 55 of slide 40. FIG. 16 shows the parts after the shuttle has engaged the feeder and is propelling it toward its retracted position.

The jaws of clamping member 60 and surface 54 are open as viewed in FIG. 16. They are confronted by the extremity 110 of the shute 36 from spool 37. The shute from the spool has passed through appropriate guides 107, 1138 and 109 and the delivery eyelet 111 and the complementary friction brake elements 112 and 113. As best shown in FIGS. 16, 17 and 21, the fixed brake elements 113 are notched and supported on a mounting plate 150 while the movable brake elements 112 are carried by a cross head 151 which is supported for vertical reciprocation by a rod 152. The compression spring 153 supplements gravity bias downwardly on the cross head but this bias is adjustably opposed by compression spring 154 which acts upwardly against a seat 155 threadedly adjustable upon the rod 152. By this arrangement, the braking friction to which the shute wire 36 is subject can be adjusted with precision.

Beyond the friction brake assembly, the wire enters the guide eyes 114, 115 of a reciprocable feeder 161 which is guided for reciprocation in a way provided by slots 117. The feeder has flanges 161 projecting laterally into the slots 117 as best shown in FIGS. 20 to 22. These slots are provided in the back plate 163 and the cover plate 164 of a so-called control box generically designated by reference character 165, the whole box being adjustably fixed to a mounting plate 166 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 18. Precision of vertical adjustment is necessary in order that the projecting extremity 110 of the shute strand 36 may be held in a position in which it will be received with accuracy between the jaws of the clamping slide 45 as above described and illustrated in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17. Vertically adjustable means for positioning the severed end of strand 36 include bolts 167 which pass through vertically elongated openings in the back plate and the mounting plate 166 to connect the control box adjustably to the lay.

Tension springs 169 connected with the back plate 163 and the cover plate 164 (FIG. 2) are attached to the feeder to bias it toward the righthand position in which it is illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 22.

When the shuttle enters the box at the end of its 6 pick, the gripper slide 41) is being propelled by the shuttle, being pushed ahead of the shuttle cushion 51 as shown in FIG. 16. Thus, when the gripper slide 40 is forcibly engaged with the feeder under momentum of the shuttle to drive the feeder rearwardly from the position of FIG. 16 to the position of FIG. 17, the open jaw 54 passes beneath the exposed end of the weft wire 36 projecting from the feeder 160. Since the shute wire 36 is held stationary by the braking elements 112, 113, the backward movement of the feeder 160 leaves the end portion 1111 of the shute wire projecting from the feeder. The extremity extends clear across the surface 54 into the well 68. When the clamp member 60 snaps from the position of FIG. 16 to that of FIG. 17, it engages the shute with such force that unless the shute is very hard it is flattened somewhat as shown in FIG. 23. The flattening produces slight shoulders which afford a very satisfactory grip between the gripper and. the shute, the arrangement being capable of exerting more tension on the wire than could be accounted for by friction alone.

The impact of the clamping member is sufliciently sharp so that grooving the clamping member would actually cut the shute Wire. However, as shown in FIG. 24, the clamping surfaces are preferably coarsely ground rather than polished, the grinding being in a direction transverse to the direction of shute wire travel. This increases the friction without any resulting cutting action on the wire.

However, the clamping jaw member 611 is not immediately moved from the position of FIG. 16 to that of FIG. 17. Instead it continues to hold the strand of weft wire extending from the opposite side of the loom. This wire is maintained under tension until beat up occurs. Only thereafter is it severed at its remote end and released from the gripper as shown in FIG. 17. These and other operations are performed incidentally to the functioning of the lay in the beat up procedure.

Controls It is convenient to use relative movement between the lay 5 and springer roll 15 to operate various parts of this apparatus (FIGS. 10 and 11). Bracket means 131), 131 are located on the stationary springer roll 15. Mounted on the part of the bracket means is a guide 136 for rod 132 upon which a spring seat 133 is adjustably mounted. The spring 134 abutting the seat engages a spring seat 135 floating on the rod and which may abut the guide 136 in the position of the parts shown in FIG. 10 or may move away therefrom in the position of the parts shown in FIG. 11. At the other side of the guide, there is another compression spring at 137 engaged with a floating seat 138 which is free on the rod 132 in the position of the parts shown in FIG. 10 but may abut the adjustable stop 139 on the rod when spring 137 is compressed as shown in FIG. 11.

Also carried from the bracket element 130 is an arm 140 provided at its end with a cam roller 141. In a manner hereinafter described, this roller (with its counterpart at the opposite side of the loom) releases the shute which has just been pulled through the shed and severs it from its source and snaps the jaws of the clamp slide into engagement with the shute at the other side of the loom to be carried through the shed on the next stroke.

The bracket element 131 on the springer roll 15 also carries a cam roller at 142. As the lay swings forwardly with the cocking lever 105 projecting toward the observer as viewed in FIG. 10, the cocking lever ultimately engages the cam roller 142. This withdraws the lock lever 95 from behind the shuttle and recocks its spring 97 by moving the toggle linkage across center against stop 106 as shown in FIG. 9. Thus the shuttle is left in readiness for the next pick.

In FIG. 10, the lay 5 is shown in its retracted position with the rod 132 drawn through the guide unit spring 134 is compressed. The connection of rod 132 by pivot '5 t bolt 143 to the rocker arm 144 has oscillated the rock shaft 145 clockwise (as viewed in FIGS. and 14 and into engagement with bumper 146. This occasions counterclockwise rotation of the shaft 170, which is connected with shaft 145 by means of the gears 171 and 172. The finger 173 on shaft 171) (FIG. 15) has lifted the latch pawl 174 against the bias of spring 175. When the finger 173 cleared the shoulder 176 of latch pawl 174, the latch pawl hooked behind the finger as shown in FIG. 15 to hold the shafts 145 and 170 in the position illustrated.

The counterclockwise rotation of shaft 171) was communicated through the miter gears 178, 179 to the shaft 180. The rock shaft 180 has thereby been oscillated counterclockwise to the position shown in FIG. 16. It carries a lever 181 having a striker portion 182 and pivotally connected at 183 with a floating lever 18d slidably as well as pivotally mounted on the supporting rod 185. As illustrated in FIG. 16, the lever 184 has an operating finger 186 poised above a cut-off knife 12th which is pivoted at 123 to the feeder 161) and supported against stop 121 by compression spring 122. The feeder has an apertured stationary die 118 through which the extremity 110 of the shute wire projects and with respect to which the cut-off knife 121) is movable with shearing action when actuated by the finger 186.

Parenthetically, however, it may be observed that such actuation occurs only at that side of the loom from which the shuttle is absent, since the arrival of the shuttle to the extreme position of its box, as shown in FIG. 17, pushes the cut-off knife 120 out from under the finger 186 so that the descent of the finger to the position shown in FIG. 17 does not affect the cut-off knife at this side of the loom. At the other side of the loom, the feeder will be held by its tension spring 167 in the outward position in which it is shown in FIGS. 16, 18 and 22. Then the descent of lever 134 as shown in FIG. 18 will depress the cut-otf knife 120 and move it across the opening in the stationary shear plate 118, thus severing length 360 from the shute wire 36, leaving the terminal portion 110 exposed at the aperture 188 as shown in FIG. 19.

As the parts are illustrated in FIGS. 10, 14 and 16, the retractive movement of the lay has lifted lever 184- and locked it in its elevated position by means of latch 174 as above described.

When the lay moves forwardly and approaches the beat up point, the adjustable nut 139 engages the floating spring seat 138 and begins to compress spring 137. The spring exerts thrust on the rocker arm 144 in a direction tending to oscillate this arm in the dotted line position of contact with stop 188 (FIG. 14). However, the latch 174 precludes any movement of the rocker arm until, just at the time of beat up, the cam surface 189 on the latch 174 engages the cam roller 1 32 carried by the bracket arm 131 from the springer roll. This displaces the latch against the bias of its spring 175, thereby releasing the finger 173 on rock shaft 170 and permitting the energy stored in spring 137 to produce a sharp movement of shafts 145, 170 and 1819, the latter being operated clockwise from the position of FIG. 16 to the position of FIGS. 17 and 18. Needless to say, this operation occurs simultaneously at both sides of the loom.

At the side of the loom at which the shuttle is then located, the striker portion 182 of rocker arm 181 engages the movable jaw 69 in the manner shown in FIG. 17 to force this jaw sharply to the left (as there viewed), with snap action as the compression spring 65 moves over center. The length of weft 361 which has just been drawn through the shed is released as shown in FIG. 17

and the terminal portion 110 of the shute strand 36 which is being fed from the left as shown in FIG. 17 is now clamped by the slide. In this position of the parts, the feeder has been pushed from beneath the actuating finger 186 of lever 18% and hence there is no cut-off.

However, at the remote side of the loom, the situation will be as shown in FIG. 18. The feeder will not have been displaced, there being no shuttle there present. Accordingly the cut-off knife 120 underlies the finger of lever 184 and the descent of the lever will result in depressing the knife and severing the picked length of shute.

It will be understood that while only the parts at the righthand side of the loom have been shown in detail, these parts are duplicated in reverse on the lefthand side.

As the lay 5 swings backwardly from the advanced position shown in FIG. 11 toward the retracted position shown in FIG. 10, the operations above described are repeated so that when the shuttle is picked in the usual way the control box parts at the far side of the loom will be in readiness.

Cut End Deflection Because each successive length of weft wire which is beat up at 12 into the fabric 16 has trailing ends at 192 and because it is desirable to brush these out of the way to prevent possible entanglement, it is preferred, as an ancillary feature, to provide means for brushing these trailing ends 192 aside until they can be sheared. Cloth guide means 193 on the springer roll 15 is used to support a plate at 194 to which the levers 195 and 196 are separately pivoted at 197 and 193, respectively. A link 199 pivoted to the ends of both levers carries the arm 2%. In practice, the link 199 may comprise a pair of links on a hub 291 pivoted on the pin 292 which projects laterally from the duplex lever 195. The pin 2.93 which carries the arcuately curved arm 200 is welded to the arm 2% and to the link 199 and projects at 264 to provide pivotal connection with lever 196.

The free end portion 205 of lever 195 is provided with an anchorage block 2136 for a rod 207 reciprocable through a guide 208 mounted on the lay cap 6 as shown in FIG. 31. Compression springs 209 and 210 transmit motion from the lay to the rod 207 and thence to the compound lever system 195, 196, 199 while accommodating excess movement of the lay. In the course of lay movement, the arm 299 is caused to move from the elevated position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 31 (this being the position of the arm 200 when the lay is advanced to beat up) and thence to the full line position of FIG. 31 (this being the position which the arm occupies when the lay is retracted). Thus, during beat up, the arm 2% is completely out of the path of the lay but as the lay is retracted the arm swings down on an arcuate path which causes it to engage and to brush forwardly the trailing ends 192 of the beat up shute wire.

The Attachment Kit FIG. 3 shows an assemblage of parts for use at one side of the loom to convert an otherwise standard loom into an embodiment of the present invention. Some of these parts are attached to the lay and some to the springer roll. The control box 165 and associated parts can be mounted by means of an adaptor plate 166 as shown, for example, in FIG. 10. The hingedly mounted front wall '75 of the shuttle box supports the gate member 99 and the shuttle retaining lock lever 95. The brackets 194 and the bracket means 130, 131 are all mounted on some convenient fixed part such as the springer roll to support the parts with which the rods 132 and 2117 are linked. Thus, omitting for the moment the automatic interlocks presently to be described, the basic principles of the invention are all applicable through the attachment of a pair of left and right hand kits or sub-assemblies such as that shown in FIG. 3.

The Interlocks Adjacent each shuttle pocket (FIGS. 4 and 34), the finger 225 at the end of rod 226 extends transversely of the race 9 in a slot 227. The rod 226 is mounted for oscillation on a hub 228 which projects forwardly from the race, subject to the bias of a torsion spring 230 which tends to lift the finger 225 from the transverse slot 227 of the race. At each side of the loom the rod is provided with an operating motor at 231 which, as illustrated, is fluid actuated subject to the control of the valve 232 for the purpose of oscillating the hub 228 against the bias of the spring, or relieving it from fluid pressure to enable it to oscillate in response to the bias of said spring.

Fluid admitted through the line 233 into the valve chamber 234 is permitted to bleed through the port 235 and ducts 236 and 237 in piston 238 into both ends of the control cylinder 240 in which piston 238 is reciprocable. The piston is connected with the stem 242 of a slide valve 245 reciprocable in the valve chamber 234 for the purpose of placing the valve chamber selectively in communication either with conduit 246 or 247. The valve has a cavity which registers with whichever conduit does not communicate with chamber 234 to place such conduit in communication with a discharge port 248 to the atmosphere. The conduits 246, 24? lead to opposite ends of the motor cylinder 231.

The control cylinder 249 for the actuating piston has its opposite end connected by conduits 249, 250 with relief check valves 251, 252 respectively, these being opened periodically by the respective cams 253 and 254 on the main drive shaft 17. When either of valves 251 or 252 is opened by its cam, air is released from the respective end of the operating cylinder 246, thereby establishing a pressure differential causing the piston 24% to move to the low pressure end of the cylinder, and shifting the valve 245 to energize the motor 23]. either to raise the finger 225 or to permit such finger to be restored by its spring bias to its initial position.

There is a lost motion connection between the piston rod 255 of the motor 231 and the arm 256 depending from the hub 228. The piston rod has a yoke 257 and the arm 256 has a pin 253 in the slot 259 of the yoke (FIG. 4). When the piston is retracted, the yoke engages the pin 258 to hold the finger 225 at the end of slot 227 as in FIGS. 5 and 6. When the piston moves to the right, it stops in a position such that the pin 253 should normally be centered midway between the ends of slot 259 leaving the finger 225 free to rise from the slot subject to the bias of the coil spring 239 as shown in FIG. 4. In so doing, it engages and lifts the shute strand 36, subjecting the strand to tension where it enters the shed beneath the upper strands of warp shown at 262.

The finger 225 should be in its slot as a preliminary to the picking of the shuttle 35. Without going into details of the circuits of the conventional relay 261, it is sutficient to note that any grounding of the control circuits will stop the motor 262 which powers the loom.

On the end of the rod 226 remote from finger 225, there is a switch actuator 265 which, as the rod 226 rotates under bias of the torsion spring 236 will engage the switch contact 266 to release this from contact 277. Contact 277 is electrically connected with roller 273 which normally rides on the insulating jacket 279 of shaft 17 but engages the contact 289 just prior to the picking of the shuttle. If the roller 2'78 grounds the contact 277 to shaft 17 at a time when the contactor 266 is also engaged with contact 277, the loom will stop, as the grounding under these circumstances will show that the finger 225 is elevated above the race 9 when this should not occur.

If the finger 225 is in the race slot 227, the actuator 265 will engage contactor 266 with contactor 281, which is connected with roller 282. This roller is normally engaged with shaft 17 as shown in FIG. 36 and therefore will ground the circuit and stop the loom at any time when contacts 266 and 281 are closed except when the finger 225 is supposed to be in the slot, in which case the roller 282 rides onto the insulating insert 233 as shown in FIG. 36.

If the finger 225 is released by motor 231 to tension the 10 shute 36 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and if the shute breaks so that the finger 225 rises farther than it should, the contact 284 on the actuator will engage the fixed contact 285 connected to the relay and this will close the grounding circuit via the roller 286 to shaft 17, thus stopping the loom.

The hinged wall 75 of each pocket is operated from the cam shaft 25 by means of the fluid motor which acts on arm 82 to tilt the wall against the bias of springs 288 (see the lefthand side of FIG. 34). The motor valving is identical with that used to control motor 231 as already described.

The lock for the shuttle likewise has electrical means for stopping the loom if it fails to function. Reference has been made to toggle member 149%) which snaps the lock into operative position subject to the bias of spring 97. The toggle member which guides the spring has its terminal portion 2% extended rearwardly when the lock is in the path of the shuttle. This closes the normally open switch contacts 291, 292, which are connected in series between the relay 261 and the roller 294. This roller operates on a normally insulated jacket of the cam shaft 25 which is comparable to the insulation 279 on the drive shaft 17 as shown in FIG. 35. Just before pick, the roller 2% will be grounded to the cam shaft and if the contacts 291, 222 are closed at that time because of the fact that the lock is in front of the shuttle, the loom will be stopped.

Operation Rotation of the cam shaft 25 alternately retracts and releases the picker sticks 30 at opposite sides of the loom. As each picker stick 3% is retracted, it draws the tethered picker block with it to the fully retracted position shown in FIG. 5, the block lying at the ends of the shuttle boxes.

On the previous beat up, the toggle linkage 99, 1%, and toggle spring 97, have been cocked to hold the lock lever 95 open for receipt of the shuttle into the pocket. As the shuttle arrives from the opposite side of the loom, it pushes the gate 93 aside to trigger the release of the toggle mechanism and to engage the lock lever behind the shuttle to prevent rebound.

Friction lining at both sides of the pocket slows the shuttle as it approaches its final position. In order that such lining may not interfere with the subsequent ejection of the shuttle by the subsequent pick, one side wall of the pocket is hinged, and actuated to move slightly outwardly prior to the pick. The lock lever is also retracted from the path of the shuttle prior to the pick. In practice, this is done as an incident to the recocking of its actuating toggle and spring but it could be done at any time after the shuttle is seated, since the only function of the locking lever is to prevent rebound.

The shuttle gripper has towed through the shed a weft or shute strand 36 from the supply spool at the opposite side of the loom. The end of the towed strand is clamped by the clamp slide 60 of the gripper 4% As the shuttle moves into the pocket, the feeder is in an advanced position with its stationary shear plate 118 flush with the last severed end 110 of the shute strand at this side of the loom. When the shuttle approaches its final position, the gripper 40 engages the feeder and pushes it toward the end of the pocket sufiiciently to expose the cut end 110, the Weft strand being held by the brake to retain its position during retraction of the feeder. Thus the jaw 54 of the gripper passes beneath end 110.

The strand just drawn through the shed remains under tension, still being held by the jaws of the gripper pending the next heat up operation of the lay. It is not until the last moment of heat up that the cut-off shear at the opposite side of the loom cuts the picked shute strand from the supply on the remote spool, the jaw element of the gripper simultaneously snapping across to release the picked strand and engage the strand end just exposed as above described.

As the lay returns from heat up, the shed having been reversed and the side of the pocket relaxed, the picker stick is released. Acting as usual through the picker block, the picker fires the shuttle out of the pocket and through the shed. Since the gripper is freely movable within the shuttle and is connected with the new length of shute, the gripper will tend to remain at rest while the shuttle moves beneath it until the striking pad 53 at the trailing end of the shuttle abuts the gripper to of feet its advance with the shuttle through the shed, pulling the weft behind it.

At the far side of the loom, the operations described are repeated, the shuttle being received into the pocket, retarded by lateral pressure of the friction lining and finally clamped in position, the feeder being forced rearwardly by the gripper to expose the end of the new shute to the gripper jaw. The shute just pulled through the shed will continue to be held under tension pending beat up.

In every beat up operation, the levers 184 at both ends of the lay are oscillated by the described linkage connected with the springer roll or other fixed mounting. At the end of the lay at which the shuttle is then disposed, the finger 182 of lever 181 will snap the clamping jaw slide 60 to release one shute and engage another. How ever, at that end of the lay, feeder is retracted and the cut-off knife 120 is thus held out of registry with the finger 186 and hence will not be actuated to cut the new strand of shute. At the end of the lay remote from the shuttle, the feeder will be in its normally advanced position with its cut-off knife underlying the finger 182 and hence the descent of lever 184 will actuate the cut-off knife to sever the shute at the last moment before beat up.

Thanks to the automatic electrical interlocks disclosed in FIGS. 34 to 36, the loom is promptly stopped in the event of malfunction.

I claim:

1. In a loom, the combination with an elongated shuttle having means for providing a longitudinal way, of a gripper reciproeably mounted in said way for movement longitudinally of the shuttle and provided at its ends with weft clamping jaws, movable jaw means for cooperating therewith, mechanism for selectively releasing the movable jaw means from one of the jaws and engaging it with the other, means providing a race for the shuttle having shuttle receiving pockets at its ends, weft guides for leading weft strands to the respective pockets in alignment with the race, weft feeders having means mounting them for limited reciprocation in the ends of the pockets in the path of the shuttle, the feeders being movable between advanced positions and retracted positions in their respective pockets and having weft cut-off means, means biasing the respective feeders to their advanced positions in the respective pockets, the feeders being yieldable against said biasing means under impact of a shuttle arriving in the respective pocket, whereby to expose the severed end of a weft strand stationary in its guide means during yielding of the feeder to its retracted position, vertically adjustable means for positioning such severed end to be engaged on the jaw of said gripper.

2. A loom according to claim 1 in which the weft guide means includes a brake including relatively movable parts engaged with opposite sides of the weft and having means biasing one of them toward the other against the weft for holding the weft as the feeder moves to its retracted position.

-member for pivotal movement for engagement with ref2 spective stationary jaws, means of maximum effect in an intermediate position of the movable jaw member for biasing it toward one of the stationary jaws and means for actuating said member with snap action across said intermediate position from engagement with one jaw to engagement with the other.

5. In a loom, the combination with a lay movable to and from beat up and provided with a shuttle ,race and shuttle pockets at the ends thereof, of a shuttle reciprocable along the race from one pocket to the other, each pocket being provided with a snap action lock for releasably retaining the shuttle therein, cockable spring means for actuating the lock, means for cocking the spring means in the course of lay movement, and shuttle operated trigger means associated with the respective pockets for releasing the cocked spring means as the shuttle enters the pocket, whereby to retain the shuttle against rebound.

6. A loom according to claim 5 in which the means for cocking the spring means includes linkage having an anchorage with respect to which the lay is movable.

7. In a loom, the combination with a lay having a shuttle race and a terminal pocket, means for moving the lay to and from beat up, a shuttle reeiprocable along the race and into the pocket, means including a cockable spring for retaining the shuttle in the pocket against rebound and means operated by the advance of the lay toward beat up for cocking the spring and releasing the shuttle from said retaining means, weft strand feeding means at each end of the race, weft strand gripping means mounted on the shuttle, weft strand severing means at each end of the race and means operable by movement of the lay toward beat up for actuating the weft strand severing means at the end of the race remote from the shuttle in further combination with a springer roll, the said means actuated by movement of the lay toward beat up including linkage having an anchorage on the springer roll.

8. A sub-assembly applicable to existing looms having lays equipped with shuttle races and bodily movable to and from fixed anchorage points, the sub-combination including means providing shuttle boxes attachable to the lay at opposite ends of the shuttle race, feeders mounted for movement in the respective shuttle boxes and provided with cut-off knives constituting means for severing respective shute strands guided by the feeders, means biasing each feeder forwardly in its respective shuttle box in the path of a shuttle movable into such box, a shuttle reciprocable along the shuttle race and having a gripper reciprocably mounted upon it in a position to engage the said feeders alternately as the shuttle enters the respective shuttle boxes, each such gripper including jaw means for clamping engagement with the end of a shute strand exposed by the displacement of a respective feeder against its bias, a detent having a cockable spring and constituting means for retaining the shuttle against rebound in the respective pocket, shuttle actuated means for releasing the cockable spring to render the detent effective and linkage connected with said fixed anchorage and operable in movement of the lay for releasing the detent means and cocking its spring and for releasing the jaw means of the shuttle to free a shute strand and for concurrently actuating means for severing the shute strand at the end of the race remote from the shuttle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,052,929 Lindsay Feb. 11, 1913 1,996,527 Sikes Apr. 2, 1935 2,693,831 Turner Nov. 9, 1954 2,707,498 Eves May 3, 1955 2,710,030 Work June 7, 1955 2,731,986 Frentzel Jan. 24, 1956 2,805,686 Godschalx Sept. 10, 1957 2,927,610 Twitchell Mar. 8, 1960 

1. IN A LOOM, THE COMBINATION WITH AN ELONGATED SHUTTLE HAVING MEANS FOR PROVIDING A LONGITUDINAL WAY, OF A GRIPPER RECIPROCABLY MOUNTED IN SAID WAY FOR MOVEMENT LONGITUDINALLY OF THE SHUTTLE AND PROVIDED AT ITS ENDS WITH WEFT CLAMPING JAWS, MOVABLE JAW MEANS FOR COOPERATING THEREWITH, MECHANISM FOR SELECTIVELY RELEASING THE MOVABLE JAW MEANS FROM ONE OF THE JAWS AND ENGAGING IT WITH THE OTHER MEANS PROVIDING A RACE FOR THE SHUTTLE HAVING SHUTTLE RECEIVING POCKETS AT ITS ENDS, WEFT GUIDES FOR LEADING WEFT STRANDS TO THE RESPECTIVE POCKETS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE RACE, WEFT FEEDERS HAVING MEANS MOUNTING THEM FOR LIMITED RECIPROCATION IN THE ENDS OF THE POCKETS IN THE PATH OF THE SHUTTLE, THE FEEDERS BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN ADVANCED POSITIONS AND RETRACTED POSITIONS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE POCKETS AND HAVING WEFT CUT-OFF MEANS, MEANS BIASING THE RESPECTIVE FEEDERS TO THEIR ADVANCED POSITIONS IN THE RESPECTIVE POCKETS, THE FEEDERS BEING YIELDABLE AGAINST SAID BIASING MEANS UNDER IMPACT OF A SHUTTLE ARRIVING IN THE RESPECTIVE POCKET, WHEREBY TO 